Episode 05 - Attack on the Town of Custom..... NOT!!!!

[ ~ Chapter • Start ~ ]

"Not very good, not very good, I say!" Lord Dauntless spoke, barely able to believe what the disguised Rance had spoke to him.

Apparently, the council had declared Patton not needing any reinforcements because the Dark Lords had already began to assist him. Not just that, but Patton was declared a traitor for even trusting them in the first place. And after some small little lies and half-truths, Henderson Dauntless was convinced that the council most likely sent Helman Troops to die.

"So that means that the Council is almost going to pain us as traitors too.... I'm going to send a messenger to Prince Patton, and while we wait for his response, I'd like you to join the force of 1000 to attack the town of Custom and capture it." Henderson spoke, before smirking quite creepily. "Oh, and do not, by any means, kill Maria Custard! Capture her and bring her to me! Heheheheeee....."

'Honestly this guy's beginning to creep me out. Still....' Rance inwardly smirked '... Yeah let's do exactly that.'

"I've trained my entire life to serve the Empire and it's people. I assure you that your orders will be done with efficiency."

"Oh, don't say that! I already knew you would tell me that the moment you arrived to tell me something! Now go to the barracks! At early morning you and your allies will march to Custom! You may leave."

After this, the disguised Rance nodded, letting Henderson alone in his fantasies by exiting the building they were in. Kanami and Sill were waiting outside, the former completely holding back the anger in her heart while the

"How did it go?" Kanami asked, and Rance replied with a thumbs up. "Still..... I had to hold back my emotions you know, seeing our allies get beaten down and abused while they wouldn't even resist is something that really hurts me in my heart."

"Helman soldiers are really cruel...." Sill spoke afterwards, with Rance shaking his head.

"Just by hearing chatter around Helman Soldiers, I found out that this 'Miss Sapphire' had brainwashed that many Leazas Soldiers, even Rick Addison and Barres Provence, generals of the Red and Black Corps respectively.... That's terrifying."

They began to walk around, searching for the barracks, at the beginning of this night. When they did enter it, several Leazas Soldiers approached them and asked if they would like to cook for the three. Of course, to avoid suspicion from the other soldiers in the area, Rance didn't mind. Even shutting Kanami up would be better too.

Aside from that, everything went around normally.

[ ~ Line • Break ~ ]

{ Two Days Later... }

Helman Troops marched towards the town of Custom, which was now several kilometers away. In the town, two hundred fifty people were ready to defend it.

"More of them are coming...." A black haired girl spoke, tightening her grip on a bazooka-like weapon with a tulip painted on it.

"How many of them are attacking this place now?!" A person asked, a little scared after he a quick prayer to Goddess ALICE.

"Probably a thousand of them!" Another replied, as ready as the three hundred were.

The people who were wielding the bazookas were of the Maria Unit, led by Maria Custard, and they were the main offensive unit of the "Custom Defense Force".

The bazookas they had were all made by Maria Custard, and there were several people using three stationary artilleries all named [Tulip 2].

Their leader raised her hand up, and immediately dropped it down, making the troops manning the artilleries fire them to the approaching Helman Troops.

Mages led by Shizuka Masou appeared by the sidelines, firing long range offensive spells to the enemy troops from afar.

*BOOM!* *boom!* *boOOOOM!*

Several explosions blew away several tens of Helman Troops, while a disguised Rance from the very back of the formation blocked an artillery shell's explosion with some effort.

'I figured Maria's [Tulip Series] really shouldn't be underestimated....' He thought, whilst the disguised Kanami and Sill held on behind him.

"Split up! Split up! Change formations!"

The Helmanian troops began to move away from each other to avoid being hit by the magic that the enemy has. It's really strange for them, and becoming terrifying the more they fought.

Soldiers were charging in almost recklessly, only for Rance, Sill, and Kanami to take out a [R-Grenade Flame Type] each and roll it on the ground on different directions when nobody is watching, and activated them all.

In the grenade's places, explosions that were as powerful as the artilleries' erupted and eradicated the soldiers that were unlucky to meet their demise.

"Kanami, kill any Helmanian near us on the back, specifically kill them without making any sound." Rance commanded Kanami, who silently nodded, sheathing out her new tanto and suddenly decapitating a Helmanian Soldier.

Due to the heat of the battle, the screams of the soldiers and knights, and their leaders, none seemed to notice Rance and his companions "betraying" them.

Arrows were fired to the town's forces, yet a certain green haired girl erected a barrier that prevents projectiles from passing through, before putting her hands forward to cast a powerful spell in the form of a white orb.

"That's...! Miss Shizuka's [White Destruction Beam]! Guys, make way!" A man shouted, moving out of the way for Shizuka to fire her spell forwards, killing 70 Helman Troops.

For several minutes, more and more Helman Troops were dying, while several people that were defending the town of Custom had been injured. The healers around did as they needed, healing the people around or bringing Seirogan from the drug store inside.

The moment that the Helman Troops' numbers became around the high 300s, something strange was happening.

The Helmanians began to stop fighting, while their allies were becoming confused.

"What's wrong with you? No, are we going to forcefully retreat right now?" A Helman Soldier asked his ally, not knowing that he had been brainwashed by Rance, just before the tip of a spear suddenly lodged itself on his abdomen.

At that moment, he noticed something... different. Their pupils were clearly glowing red, and with a blink, the glow on them was gone.

'.... Just like those Leazas scum...?! How....' The soldier fell down to the ground in pain, clutching his abdomen and staring at a Helman Knight approaching him.

".... Pitiful. You weren't expecting to be betrayed this soon, right? It doesn't matter, your death will not be.... in vain." He spoke in a chilling tone that began to scare him, and the moment this Helman Knight turned his back from him, a fellow soldier thrusted his spear to his head.

'My rehearsal should pay off soon enough if I use my other persona.... though when should I use it?' Rance thought about something different instead, still, he had achieved acting at a new level. Hopefully, he'd not meet to meet a Lie Detector.

This action of betrayal confused both the forces defending the town and their fellow soldiers who hadn't been brainwashed, who'd die sooner than they thought.

Due to this, the people of Custom halted their attacks, yet were still ready to attack if necessary.

A Helman Knight, along with a purple haired ninja and a familiar pink haired girl took several steps forward facing the town.

"What is he doing....?" Maria watched in the distance, seeing that he waved his hands as if asking for a cease-fire, before his armor became less bulkier and more lighter, and greener. Sill's and Kanami's clothing returned to their original colors, too.

The Helman Knight was becoming shorter, and suddenly, he grabbed his helmet, twisting it and then taking it off. After that, silence reigned the fields, a smirk crept up his face.

"That's the man who saved Custom six months ago!"

One moment of recognition was needed, and the town's defending forces immediately dropped most of their guards to begin to welcome them, even though they were still pretty wary about the Helmanian Troops that were recently brainwashed into serving him.

[ ~ Chapter • End ~ ]

Character Images:

• Henderson Dauntless

• Maria Custard

• Shizuka Masou